External Link/Members OnlyMade a booking at Unique in Sale after quite a long time away. I was curious to see whether the quality had been maintained, especially as there’s now a smart looking new competitor called Santara just down the street which I may have to try soon.
I’ve been to Unique a couple of times before and it has always come across as a legitimate, professional place, so I wasn’t expecting anything other than a first class massage and that’s exactly what I got.
A quick phone call on the day and I was soon booked in for an hour long deep tissue massage. £45 for an hour.
A lady who I think was called Niknoi guided me to the room and asked me to remove my clothes while keeping my underwear on, then lie face down on the bed. The bed had a face hole which kept my spine in a neutral position. Niknoi soon returned and asked whether I wanted soft, medium or firm pressure. When I said firm, she warned me that she was quite strong and told me to let her know if it became too much.
She then climbed onto the bed and, using bamboo supports suspended from the ceiling, walked over my back using her heels and the blade of her feet to apply surprisingly strong force to my pressure points.
After this, she asked whether I wanted Tiger Balm and I said yes. She rubbed it into my back before using her elbows and thumbs to work deeply into muscle knots and tension. She really was as strong as she warned, and I actually had to ask her to ease off slightly on my calves.
What impressed me most was how quickly she identified problem areas without me saying much. My lower back is luckily trouble free, but my shoulders click and grind quite badly. She gave my lower back a quick once over but focused much more attention on my shoulders, really working into the tightness.
After the hour, I walked out feeling noticeably looser and more flexible, especially through my back and shoulders, almost like they’d been internally sprayed with WD 40. Most surprisingly, my neck had a much better range of motion and I could turn fully left and right without discomfort. It’s funny how these limitations gradually creep up on you without you realising.
I’ll definitely be returning more regularly.
